White Day
by njborba
Summary: Catherine arranges a little R&R for her and Steve.


Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, _Hawaii Five-0_.

**Thank you to LuckyStarPham22 for encouraging me to write this little piece. I'm not sure it's what you had in mind, dear, but I hope you like it. And I'm sorry it took longer than I'd hoped.**

**And to anyone here who is waiting for more of my You Owe Me story, I worked on it for about eight hours yesterday because I finally had a day off to relax and write! So it is getting done... slowly... :)**

* * *

**White Day**

By  
N. J. Borba

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"This is crazy, I can't see anything," Steve complained.

She glanced across the car just in time to notice he was reaching for the blindfold, "Do not touch that, commander," Catherine kept an eye on the road as one hand shot out to swat at him, "Come on, the whole point of a surprise is that you don't see it coming."

He grumbled, "I have things to do today. And the two of us shouldn't take a day off together."

"No, you don't… and, yes, we should," Catherine pushed his hands toward his lap as she carefully maneuvered the road, one hand on the wheel, "I cleared it with the team two weeks ago. They've got everything covered, and Grover is on call if they need extra hands," she explained. "I don't think you and I have had a day together since Christmas. Between the task force and our Reserves duties… and then I was away for that week helping my mom move aunt Louise into the new care facility."

Catherine finally took a breath, "And you've been…" she didn't finish that thought, "We need a break - a little R&R."

"But it's bad timing, Cath," Steve continued to protest, "Danny's got his mom visiting so he should have priority for time off and…"

"Fine," Catherine gripped the wheel with both hands as she pulled off onto the side of the road and stopped her blue corvette. "Get out."

Steve finally yanked his blindfold down but didn't care about seeing where they were, his eyes focused completely on her. "Catherine, don't be mad. I just think maybe we could do something another day. I'll make it up to you."

"I have _today_ off," she replied in a short tone of voice, having heard his 'I'll make it up to you' promise so many times it was starting to bother her a little, "I did a lot of fancy maneuvering to take this day off and I plan to use it," she made herself clear, "But if you don't want to take the day off with me then I'll just go without you. So…" her right hand waved at the passenger door, "Feel free to get out."

"You're not going to leave me here," he tried to catch her eye but she wouldn't look at him, "Catherine, I…"

"You can either get out of my car right now," she spoke as calmly as possible, not really upset with him, more disappointed than anything else, "Or you can put the blindfold back on and be quiet. Those are your only options. Pick one."

He could tell she was ready to wait him out all day if need be. There clearly were no other options for him. Steve took a deep breath and pulled the lavender swath of fabric back up over his eyes, making sure it was secure. For the first time since she'd tied it around his head, Steve realized it smelled like her - vanilla and jasmine and something else sweet that he never could pinpoint. "Okay, decision made," he motioned forward with one hand in indication that she should get going.

Catherine put the car in gear and continued the drive.

It didn't take too much longer to reach their destination. Steve stepped out of the little blue car with help from Catherine's guidance so he didn't hit his head on the vehicle's low clearance. Upon exiting the car he heard the distinctive whirr of helicopter blades, "Where are we…" he clamped down on the question he'd almost asked. Even with the blindfold he could practically see her dark brown eyes roll at him.

"Hello, to the beautiful Catherine," Kamekona greeted them. The big guy chuckled upon spotting Steve, "And the blindfolded man," he pointed to his chopper, "Your chariot."

Steve took a seat in the back, alone and still very much in the dark. Catherine sat in the spot up front next to Kamekona as he piloted them along the coastline of Oahu. The scene changed as they diverted course and hit the open water, a turquoise ocean spread out as far as the eye could see. She glanced over her shoulder to see Steve still seated quietly with the lavender cloth tied across his eyes. He wore a look she knew well, cautious but ready for anything. It actually made her smile.

A while later they touched down and Kamekona helped unload their packs, "Pick you up same time tomorrow, right?" the man asked.

"Yep, thank you, Kami," Catherine gave him a kiss on the cheek before waving him off. She handed Steve one bag and pulled the other over her shoulders. Catherine made sure they were far enough away as the helicopter took off, then she reached up to grasp the blindfold, standing on her tiptoes a little to untie it. "Voila," she said as the cloth came off.

He watched the tail of Kamekona's chopper disappear over a ridge of trees, "Hawaii," Steve instantly knew where they were, "Been here."

Her eyes did roll at him, head shaking, "I know you have," she tried not to be cross with him. "But I know no matter how far away on Oahu I would've managed to get you… you'd still be close enough to take a case call. I figured that's a little less likely to happen if we're a few islands away."

"But I can still take a call, I have my…" Steve paused as he reached into the front left pocket of his khakis and found it empty. "Cath, where's my cell?"

She shrugged, "Don't know."

"Catherine," he regarded her seriously, his lips pursed, warning eyes. "I need my cell phone, what if something happened to us out here?"

"The only thing happening here is we're going on a hike, not a long hike. And we're going to camp and rest and relax until Kamekona picks us up tomorrow. If we're not at the rendezvous point here by this time tomorrow they'll know to send out search parties. You don't need your phone," Catherine declared.

With a somewhat reluctant nod, Steve relented - his body slowly relaxing a little as he accepted her plan. "Then lead the way."

000

"I know… you've seen it before, right?" she asked as they stood side by side gazing up at the waterfall.

They were positioned along the rocky edge of a naturally formed pool, with water so clear you could see the gravely bottom. And close enough to feel the spray from a nearly seventy foot plunge of frothy white water. It cascaded through a narrow passage above them, emerald green vegetation concealing the waterfalls' origin. In the distance there was a higher peak of volcano that could be seen from the valley floor where they stood.

Steve turned his gaze on Catherine, watching her as she watched the waterfall with appreciative eyes.

She caught his eye and turned to face him, "What?"

"What?" he shrugged.

"You're staring at me," Catherine replied a little warily, "There's a gorgeous waterfall in a lush valley and there's no one else around, I've actually managed to get you away from work for the day and it's absolutely quiet here at the moment…"

He grinned, "Except you keep talking," Steve closed the tiny gap between them, turning to allow his hands to rest against either side of her waist. "I have never been to this spot before, Catherine, never seen this waterfall," he revealed, standing with his back to the waterfall, only having eyes for her at the moment. "And even if I had, I've never done it with you before." Steve felt sorry for being such a killjoy earlier, "It's kind of romantic don't you think?"

Her eyes narrowed at him, "Are you the same guy I nearly left on the side of the road this morning?"

"Sorry about that, I…" he sighed and gave a shrug, "I've been a little…"

Catherine leaned forward and let her lips brush against his, a brief and gentle touch, "I didn't bring you here because I was hoping for romance. I brought you here because I was hoping it might help you relax," she reiterated before suggesting, "We should probably set up our camp."

Steve unclipped his waist belt and shimmied out of his pack. Then he helped Catherine shed her backpack. "I think the camp can wait, we've got plenty daylight left. I'd rather use the time to swim," he made her a counter offer. "Would you like to go for a swim with me? You did pack swim things, didn't you?" Steve asked with an arched brow.

The suggestive way he'd asked made her want to lie and pretend she hadn't, but Catherine knew that even as secluded as the spot was someone else might stumble upon them.

A few minutes later they'd donned swimsuits and made their way through the clear, warm water.

He swam away from her, curving along the water's edge as she took a straight-shot path toward the waterfall. "What are you doing?" Catherine called loudly to him, hovering in the water as the spray drenched her and made it hard to hear her own voice. She watched his long, lithe form cut through the water and dip below the surface for a moment. Catherine's heart skipped a little faster as he emerged right in front of her.

She let her hands rub along the firm, wet surface of his chest as he pressed his body against hers. "Having fun?" Catherine whispered against his lips.

"It'd be more fun if you weren't wearing so much," Steve remarked.

Her bark of laughter echoed across the valley, "Yes, because this tiny bikini leaves so much to the imagination," she grinned.

His eyes dipped to her cleavage briefly. He smiled before letting go of her waist and floating backwards, kicking away from her. "Bet you can't catch me," Steve taunted before rolling onto his stomach and swimming further away.

Catherine laid chase, happy to play his game even though she knew she could never outswim the former Navy SEAL. They stayed close to the pool and waterfall for over an hour, alternating between swimming and basking in the sunlight and spray, sharing soft kisses and teasing one another. "You know what I could use?" Catherine asked as they sat cuddled on towel she'd spread out along the gravely bank.

"Hmm, lunch?" he wondered, feeling his stomach growl.

She barely managed to stifle a yawn as her head shook, "Nope, a nice long nap."

000

Their camp fire crackled, sending a few glowing orange embers upward into the night sky.

Catherine reclined against his chest, one of his arms clasped comfortingly about her waist. Her head rested on his left shoulder as she gazed at the dancing flames, a small bit of warmth drifting over from the fire Steve had built. The embers burned off quickly, disappearing into the darkness. They'd set up camp far enough away from the waterfall not to get overspray on the tent or fire pit. But they could still see it in the distance, and hear its soft roar in the distance.

"You know when you mentioned a nap earlier…" Steve said, "I figured that was code for sex. Then I woke up two hours later and the sun was setting, and you were snoring," he noted, pressing an adoring kiss upon her cheek.

She smiled, having slept very soundly beside him in their cozy tent. "Good, I'm glad you slept. When I said nap, I meant nap. This trip is about resting, remember?"

He nodded, setting aside the meal he'd been eating with one hand, "Best beef stew MRE I've had in a long time," Steve praised.

Catherine appreciated how easily he could be to please in the food department, "Wait till you see what I made for dessert," she sat forward for a moment, rooting about in her pack until she produced another plastic package and handed it over to him.

"Freeze dried ice cream sandwich?" his eyes lit, "You're the best."

"You know what day it is?" Catherine asked as she settled back into her comfy position and listened as he swiftly began to devour his treat.

"Yeah, Friday…" he spoke around a mouthful, "March fourteenth," Steve spoke the second set of words a bit more hesitantly. The ice cream sandwich pouch was lowered, forgotten for the moment, "Crap, did I forget some sort of anniversary thing? I know it's not your birthday, so…"

"You didn't forget anything," she was quick to assure him, "It's Valentine's Day."

Steve's nose twitched, eyes narrowed, "Uh, no… no, it's not, Cath," he responded, "And I'll be the first to admit I'm not the best at romantic gestures and all that, but I do know Valentine's Day was a month ago. Valentine's Day is February."

"Yes, the traditional version of Valentine's Day was a month ago," she agreed, "But today is a Valentine's Day celebrated in some other parts of the world like Japan… a friend recently told me that on the February Valentine's Day the man woos the woman, and on the March version it's up to the woman to do something special for the man. So, this is my something special. I know you're not the kind of guy who likes fancy meals or chocolates, so I figured a day away from work spent hiking and sleeping under the stars would be more your style."

A soft chuckle escaped as he listened to her.

Catherine turned, "Why are you laughing? I try to do something nice for you and you laugh?"

"No, I'm not laughing at you," he assured her, "It's just…" Steve shrugged, "What you're talking about sounds like White Day, which is kinda the other way around. On Valentine's Day it's the women who give men chocolates and on White Day the men give women something, usually a white candy of some sort, white chocolate or I think I even heard marshmallows, or something like that. At least that's how my buddy, K.T., explained it to me several years back when we served together in Iraq. His family's from Japan."

"Oh," she let go a defeated sigh, "So you already knew about the holiday… and apparently I botched it up."

His head shook as he snuggled her shoulder with his chin, "Did you arranged all this today for me, as a gift?"

"I did," Catherine nodded.

"Then you didn't botch anything," he assured her, "And I'm an idiot."

She kept her body twisted a little to look him in the eye, "You're not an idiot, Steve, not even close. You just get a little focused at times and forget to relax," Catherine gave him an out.

Steve took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Catherine, I…"

"You don't have to talk about it," her response came quickly, sensing what was on his mind, "You really don't."

"You know?" Steve held her a little tighter.

Catherine shrugged, "I know something's been bothering you for a long time, and you haven't been sleeping well. The other night I heard you mumbling in your sleep," she didn't want to mention she'd heard him say Freddie's name, "When I was there one night last week I heard you wake up and go downstairs to sleep. I figured it was because you didn't want to disturb me," Catherine revealed, "I'm guessing you want to protect me by not telling me, especially after what I went through with Billy and all, but…"

"You're right," he whispered in her ear, "All I want is to protect you, Catherine."

With a slightly more relaxed breath she turned around to recline against him again, "What you told me after Billy died… about finding something else to focus on, it really helped me. And if I could help you like that…" Catherine bit her lip for a moment, "Even if it's just to get you out here for a day to forget about things then that's enough for me. You told me you were there for me, that I wasn't alone," she recalled, "I just hope you know I'm here for you."

"I do know," Steve nodded, "I know there's no one quite like you, Catherine. The way you put up with me, I…"

"That's called friendship and…" she stopped short of saying the big, scary four-letter word, knowing it still wasn't the right time for that. Catherine understood he had a lot to sort through, and so did she. "And, yes, sometimes you frustrate me with your stubbornness, and how you want to be alone because caring about people scares you," Catherine understood and accepted those things about him, "But when you care about someone the way I care about you," she smiled, "You stick by them.

He picked up the package and offered her a bite, "Only white thing I have for you is freeze dried ice cream," Steve grinned.

"Thank you," she took a small bite then let her lips meet his again.

"You know…" he licked his lips, starring down at her in the glow of firelight, "Since we took that long nap today I imagine I might be up late tonight."

She chuckled, "Is that code for sex?" Catherine teased, not upset that he'd diverted topics again.

"Yes," he nodded, "There's no fooling you. That was definitely code for sex."

"But you're meant to be _resting_," she stressed the term again.

His lop-sided grin flashed impishly, "Trust me, sex can be very relaxing," Steve's words were full of promise.

"Oh, yeah?" Catherine asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, setting the package of ice cream aside again and scooping her up into his arms. Steve carried her to their tent. He laid her upon the thin air mattress, gazing down at her. He thought again about how he'd let Freddie down, leaving him behind, losing him. But he wouldn't let his friend down where Catherine was concerned. _I've seen you and Lt. Rollins… that's the real deal. Don't mess it up._ Those words echoed in his head as he settled beside her.

Steve hadn't answered his friend that day, but he finally could now, "I won't," he whispered.

Catherine looked up at him questioningly.

He didn't explain the words. Instead, he showed her how much she meant to him.

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**The End**


End file.
